TEACH is a nonprofit organization, 501(c)(3), operated by a volunteer Board of Directors. It was established in 2002 to respond to unmet educational needs in remote and impoverished areas of Guatemala.
In putting its mission into action, TEACH reaches into remote, rural, and poor Maya communities in eastern Guatemala and opens schools where none have previously existed. A non-profit, volunteer-powered organization, TEACH partners with local leaders [or: grassroots leadership] by funding teachers’ salaries and educational materials. Instruction in these schools meets or exceeds government standards in mathematics, reading and language skills, the arts, science, and social studies. In cases TEACH finds funding for school building construction, and the local people donate their labor. Parents also contribute a portion of their children’s school expenses.
Once the school is fully operational, TEACH invites the local leadership to assume responsibility, so that TEACH can move on to fund the opening of new schools.
TEACH also funds residences for students whose families live in remote areas can live so that they can attend a school (grades 7-12) in a larger town. The residences provide meals, mentoring, emotional support, computer access, security, social activities and recreation.
In some cases TEACH provides scholarships that enable students from villages that are too small to support secondary education to attend weekend classes in a básico (grades 7-9) or diversificado (grades 10-12) in a city.
The Mission in Action
Year Milestone
2018 TEACH began sponsoring a teacher, a cook, and a child psychologist at Semilla de Esperanza y Amor, in Antigua.
2017 TEACH sponsored a teacher for one year (2017) in Arcochoch.
2016 TEACH begins to support Dos Zapatillos primary school.
2016 Nueva Generación Primary School is dedicated.
2016 TEACH establishes a partnership with GSSG-Guatemalan Student Support Group.
2015 TEACH sponsors one primary school teacher at Nueva Generación, and funds the building of a primary school classroom.
2015 TEACH begins to sponsor scholarship students from Los Quineles to study grades 7-9 in Puerto Barrios or Media Luna.
2014 TEACH sponsors one teacher at the Punta Arena primary school for one year; government support begins April 2015
2014 TEACH begins to sponsor the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Residence for girls in Quirigua.
2013 TEACH pays teachers’ salaries at a new school in Nacimiento (grades 7-9). This is a partnership with the ‘Esperanza de Rio Dulce’ organization from Austin Texas.
2009 TEACH opens a primary school in Los Quineles.
2009 TEACH opens a primary school in Santa Isabel.
2008 TEACH opens a basico (grades 7-9) named "Instituto San Antonio Maria Claret" in Semuy
2006 TEACH begins support to the primary school in Las Brisas, a small village on the right bank of the Rio Dulce. Project ended December 2012.
2005 TEACH first supports Santa Catalina residence in El Estor for girls attending secondary schools (grades 7-12) there.
2004 TEACH begins to support the Instituto San Pablo (grades 7-9) and its residence for boys and girls in Tamagas.
2004 TEACH opens a primary school in El Quetzal.
2003 TEACH begins to support Casa Indigena, a residence for boys attending secondary schools (grades 7-12) in El Estor. Project ended December 2013.
2003 TEACH begins to support the residence for boys and girls, grades 7-9 at Kateri Tekawitha in Livingston.
2003 TEACH supports and helps reopen the primary school in Lagunita Salvador.
2003 TEACH begins to support Escuela Maya LaSalle primary school in El Estor.
2003 A small donation puts TEACH into action.